Green diabetes mellitus: a pilot project

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONMost of approximately 422 million people globally have diabetes mellitus use sharps for glucose monitoring. Many adults with diabetes are unaware of safe disposal methods, posing a risk of injury or potential infection to others. AIMTo determine how adults with diabetes dispose of diabetes care-related waste and to assess changes in their disposal habits after receiving brief targeted education during medical visits. METHODSAmbulatory adults with diabetes (aged ≥18 years) were enrolled during their medical visit. After completing an initial questionnaire, a handout on safe disposal practices was discussed with them, which was followed by a second questionnaire 3 months later. RESULTSThere were 111 participants at baseline (mean age 55 years, 50.4% had diabetes for >10 years, 52% female, 74.7% insulin users, 59.4% had home sharps containers, 53.1% had previous diabetes education). Of these, 40.5% reported disposing of sharps in their household trash. Insulin use, previous diabetes education or having a ‘Red Sharps’ container at home were each significantly associated with safe disposal (all P<0.05). Of the 96 (86.5%) participants who completed the second questionnaire, unsafe disposal of sharps fell from 39.6% to 10.4% (P<0.001). Preferred method of container disposal was the use of drop-off sites (pharmacies, doctors’ offices and hospitals). Outside their homes, 18.8% of completers had used regular trash for sharps disposal. Post education, this fell to 8.7% (P=0.065). Post education, reuse of sharps decreased from 38.3% to 14.9% (P<0.001) and improper handling of sharps (eg bending or cutting) fell from 18.8% to 9.4% (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONSSafe sharps disposal can be improved by providing a simple handout with a brief discussion at the time of medical visits. Disposal methods that are easy, convenient and free-of-charge are needed to further increase safety.

Medical sharps in Portugal: a cross-sectional survey of disposal practices among the diabetic population

“…To the best of our knowledge, there was no data available about home disposal practices of medical sharps in the Portuguese diabetic population, as in many other countries 20. We found clear evidence of inadequate disposal of medical sharps among these patients, findings that are corroborated by studies in the same scope conducted in other countries, which reported household bin disposal of medical sharps ranging from 33% to 92%,3 7 8 10 13 15 17 18 21–28 a common problem worldwide 9. Our results show that over two-thirds of diabetic patients discard sharps directly into common household bins.…”

“…However, from the beginning of the therapeutic plan, it is necessary to provide education to patients and their families about the importance of proper disposal of sharps, not neglecting the education of healthcare professionals 20. Even though educating patients might be challenging, a broad and improved knowledge on safe sharps disposal is required, as there is evidence that patients are more likely to dispose of sharps properly if advised by healthcare providers, especially if there is ongoing support from the healthcare team 18 21 30…”

Intelligent Nutrition Diet Recommender System for Diabetic’s Patients

“…Considering different requirements and constraints, this study proposes a system to make decisions based on different conditions. This research work mainly focuses on the development of a reliable Nutrition Diet Expert System (NDES) based on nutritional recommendations for diabetes patients that will be useful specifically for HCPs and will enable them to monitor the patients' health in hospitals and at home [5]. Health monitoring systems are one of the major advancements in the information technology (IT) field with the market of wearable devices worldwide producing revenue of around $26 B which is expected to increase to $34 B in 2021 [6].…”

From the Editor: Food, farming and neuro-inflammation

“…9 On more clinical matters, we have a short report reminds readers that some patients with diabetes face obstacles in disposing of their diabetes-related 'sharps'. 10 Two qualitative research reports explore issues relating to how patients feel about doctors disclosing their own health problems 11 and how Asian immigrant gay men regard pre-exposure prophylaxis to protect them from HIV. 12 Wrapping up the issue we have the Potion or Poison and Cochrane Corner columns and two case reports, one highlighting a rare condition 13 and the other condition that is difficult to diagnose: both from primary care.…”